Eleanor Roosevelt’s Upper East Side Townhouse on Market for $13.5 Million

Yes, former First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt lived here from 1953 to 1958 and entertained the best and the brightest including Indira Gandhi, Adlai Stevenson and John F. Kennedy. Yes, the Treadwell Farms historic district has remarkable cachet and has attracted such residents as: Maria Bartiromo, Martin Scorsese, Montgomery Clift, and Kim Novak. And yes, this beyond bespoke home is tastefully and impeccably renovated. So, it is true: You Can Have It All!

Welcome to your turnkey 19th-century residence with 6 stop elevator, beautifully restored and re-imagined by interior designer, Maria Masi. She has elegantly curated every inch of the this near 19-foot-wide, 5 story, over 5200 square foot home. The interior offers 12 beautifully appointed rooms, two floors of glorious entertaining spaces, the third and fourth floors offer two exceptional full floor master suites outfitted to perfection and the fifth floor offers two more lovely bedrooms again, each with en-suite bath. There are 6 classical revival marble fireplaces, each stunning and Victorian architectural details that create a sense of opulence. An additional 1770 square feet of outdoor entertaining add to the pleasures of this home. The First Floor Drawing Room opens onto a romantically landscaped all season garden, a spacious furnished roof terrace with skyscraper views graces the top of the building. Both invite use for luxurious formal or informal entertaining and relaxation. The Dining Room opens onto a lovely Garden facing Terrace. There is a pristine English Basement with separate bath plus a laundry area and space ready for use as a gym, media, room, playroom or staff quarters. Naturally, there is a rooftop, dog run for Fido.

Built in 1873 as a brownstone row house, the building was later converted into a single-family home with a handsome red brick facade with two entrances (residential and service) flanked by classical stone columns. The Entrance Foyer is dramatic with a splendid architectural details, that exemplify the unique level of craftsmanship evident throughout this home.

The Reception Gallery is graced with hand painted Iksel wallpaper of a lush landscape. A restored Victorian ceiling with ornamental tracery, a central fireplace, custom millwork and three original leaded tinted glass arched French doors distinguish this room. The triple doorway open on to a garden with a charming sculptured stone fountain and stone table with seating. A bijou powder room and well-equipped top of the line service kitchen complete this floor.

The Parlor Floor provides a Double Dining Room (currently Dining Room and Study) which flows seamlessly into a professionally equipped square eat-In Kitchen replete with double La Cornue stove and only the best appliances. The signature triple glass doors that grace the south facing Dining Rooms are echoed in the triple stained-glass windows in the kitchen which looks out onto the historic townhouses on 62nd street. The spiral mahogany staircase that leads from the First to the Parlor floor and beyond artfully anchors this home. An elegant powder room completes this floor.

As befits today’s luxury lifestyle preferences, there are two full-floor Master Bedroom Suites which can be used as such, or for guests, or by a multi-generational family. Each floor is luxurious. One with fireplace in the central sitting area, one with a fireplace in the bathroom. Both offer a wet bar, and magnificently sumptuous bathrooms.

Both the fourth and the fifth floors are graced with Parquet de Versailles floors and a separate staircase allows more privacy to this section of the house.

The fifth floor offers another Master Bedroom with triple windows facing South, a fireplace, mahogany custom millwork, and another exceptional en-suite bath. The fourth bedroom, currently a very feminine Reading Room, is graced with a delightful marble fireplace and an unbelievably alluring double sink bathroom.

This property would be a magnificent home, or headquarters for nonprofit organization. Located in a protected residential tree-lined district, it offers a flexible layout and a level of quality throughout that is unrivaled. Uniquely, it offers the opportunity to share the Roosevelt legacy of lifelong service, promoting human rights for all, at a time when her values resonate profoundly.